Let It Rain
by jlhumph
Summary: One-shot about the Cave scene between Katniss and Peeta. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This one-shot just became a THREE chapter story! I had this idea all of a sudden. Had to get it down in print. Summarizing what happened before and during the cave scene, then extending it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

**Let It Rain**

Katniss POV

"Peeta!" I call out in a frenzy. I've been looking for him all along this river bank. I keep walking and calling out his name, all the while watching the woods around me for a surprise attack. Just then I hear him. "Come to finish me off sweetheart?" I look all around and cannot find him. "Peeta, where are you?" I ask frantically. "Look down" he says. I look down and see all grass and rock and leaves. Then I see those unique blue eyes of his and I can't believe how he's disguised himself.

"Seriously Peeta, you could have hid out the whole games that way and nobody would have ever found you. You would totally win. The camouflage looks amazing!" I exclaim. I help him up to a sitting position. "That's great Katniss. Truth is, I would've probably bled to death first." he says.

It's just then that I look down and see how horrific he's injured. I immediately go to work. "Peeta, I've got to get you cleaned up. Can you help me take some of your clothes off? You're covered in mud and it's obviously not good for the wound." Peeta pulls his shirt over his head with one arm and then unbuttons his pants so that I can begin the arduous task of removing them.

I finish pulling them off and then drop them near the water. I put a few leaves in my mouth and grind them up. Then I spit them into my hand and apply to Peeta's wound. They'll draw some of the pus out of his leg while I work on washing his clothes. They need time to dry in the sun while I'm cleaning Peeta. After I'm done, I fill up my container of water and begin to wash him.

There is way too much dirt. "Peeta, you've got to get into the water. There's just too much dirt." He nods and starts to inch his way down. I suddenly realize that I don't want to get my clothes all wet, but I need to get into the water to bath him. I throw caution to the wind and strip out of my shirt and pants.

I can't believe I'm in a black bra and panties on national television. I try to forget the fact that everyone I love is watching, let alone the country and just focus on Peeta. Helping him is worth my embarrassment. As Peeta is inching his way toward the stream, unsuccessfully I might add, I suddenly appear in his eyesight, sans my clothes. I make eye contact with him and his eyes are bugging out of his head. I just took this up a notch while trying to help him.

I help Peeta into the water and he gasps when it runs over his leg. Peeta doesn't goof around though. He helps me get the dirt off of him and doesn't take advantage of a nearly naked teenage girl in front of him. He does however, give me his underwear to wash and dry. Now I have a very handsome, naked, Peeta Mellark on my hands.

After I"m done cleaning him, I close my eyes and help him out of the water. He laughs at me. "I don't care if you see me Katniss." he says. I'm mortified. I make certain that I am not facing him and I retrieve his underwear. I back up and hand them to him. He laughs as he puts them on, never complaining. I apply leaves a few more times to drain the pus and then finally apply some of my burn cream ointment because I don't have anything else.

I cut around his pants where his wound is so it can be free from rubbing the pants. Then I wrap it with items from my first aid kit. I look up, almost dark now. We need shelter. I assist Peeta as we hobble downstream and then find a cave.

We get inside and set up a small camp with my sleeping bag and the food that I have left. Peeta starts to burn a fever and I give him some fever pills from my first aid kit. He soon falls asleep. A few hours later when he awakens, we have our first real conversation. We tell each other stories at his request, He tells me a wrestling story and I tell him all about how I got Prim's goat. It isn't long before we both decide to sleep. He beckons me to the sleeping bag with him and I can't help but crawl into it with him. These games are hard enough. I want to be held and feel safe. Peeta and I drift off to sleep, his right arm around my waist and his left as my pillow. I sleep soundly.

When I wake up, Peeta is shivering with fever. His hair is damp and matted to his head. I brush it from his face and notice just how truly magnificent Peeta really is. I had tried not to notice while bathing him, I mean, I had a job to do then. But there was no mistaking how handsome and built his body is. I can see his abs through his shirt and all of the muscles in his arms.

His blonde hair and fair skin are foreign to me since I'm from the Seam. His blue eyes are gorgeous. I've never seen the ocean but I imagine that it's the same azure blue. And when he looks at me, I can feel them bore into my soul. I find myself gazing at his lips. They're perfect and pink, slightly puckered in his sleep. I find myself imagining what it would be like to feel his lips against mine.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I find myself drawn to his mouth. He's so attractive, inside and out, that I can't lure myself away. My lips touch his and his eyes fly open. I'm startled. I don't know what to do but move away. I begin to, but Peeta pulls me close to him. "Katniss, did you just kiss me?" he asks.

I bite my lip and try to form an intelligent answer. "Uh, maybe. Um, yes I guess I did. I'm sorry." I stammer. Peeta sits up and doesn't release me. Our faces are very close still. "Katniss, do you know how long I've been waiting and wanting to kiss you? Forever." he says. "Forever? When did forever begin?" I ask. Peeta tells me about how his father pointed me out to him on our very first day of school and how he knew he was a goner after he heard me sing the valley song in music assembly. His words are so sincere, it's impossible not to believe him.

For the second time in ten minutes, I want my lips on Peeta's. We both begin to close the gap and his hands come up to cup my face. He strokes my cheek with his thumb and then his lips meet mine. They're soft and caring and he smells like warm bread and cinnamon. Then his tongue touches the outside of my lips and I gasp in pleasure. When I do so, his tongue seizes the opportunity to find mine and our instincts take over. I slowly put my arms around his neck and pull myself even closer to him.

I run my hands down his back and up his arms, marveling at how muscular he is. He's amazing. I never break the kiss and neither does he. His hands are at the small of my back, pulling me tighter to him. He's never not a gentleman. Just rubbing my arms and running his hands on my braid. He pulls it out of the braid and then runs his hands through it, massaging my head and forcing his tongue even further into my mouth. I am on fire.

I begin to straddle him and Peeta breaks the kiss and gasps. His leg! I forgot! "Peeta I'm so sorry! I got all wrapped up in the moment. I'm so sorry!" I cry. I back away from him, my back to the wall and bring my knees up to my face. I sob into my hands. I feel his hands take mine into his. He lifts my chin up with his finger. "Don't you ever apologize for that. Ever, Katniss. I have never felt so alive.

With you, now in this cave. Please just come lay down with me? I want to hold you. Please?" He begs. I move back over to the other side of the cave where we were and we both begin to get into the sleeping bag. Just then there's an announcement.

"_Tomorrow there will be a Feast at the Cornucopia at noon. There will be a bag for each District containing something that you desperately need. This is the only announcement."_

Peeta and I look at each other and then I look down at his leg. "No!" He says. "You're not going!"

I cup his face in my hands and kiss his lips. "Peeta, you need the medicine. You've got blood poisoning. Please let me get it for you." I say. He shakes his head in disagreement. "No Katniss. I won't risk you. You're all I have left." I kiss his eyelids closed and then his mouth. I don't want to talk about it anymore tonight. I slide into the bag and pull him closer to me.

In the morning, the argument continues. I excuse myself to the mouth of the cave to calm down and a parachute falls near me. I open it up to find a small vial. I taste it, oh boy, it's sleep syrup! I gather some berries and stir the syrup into it. I need to act my heart out now to convince Peeta to eat it. "Peeta, look at the treat I have for you!" I walk over to him and show him the berries. "Open up, I'll feed them to you." Peeta opens his mouth and I spoon a mouthful into it. "Wow. They're really sweet. What are they?" He asks.

I get a couple of more spoonfuls into his mouth before he can figure it out. "Oh, they're sugar berries. My mother uses them all the time. Delicious." I exclaim. He takes another bite. "They're really sweet Katniss. Almost like syrup." He says. Just then our eyes click and he grabs my arm. I can see the sleep syrup beginning to work. "Katniss, you didn't. Shit, it's sleep syrup." His eyes roll back into his head and I cover him up before making my way to the feast.

_Peeta POV_

_When I wake up, I find a needle in my leg. I discard it and then look around for Katniss. It's dark in the cave for being afternoon. There's a raging storm outside. When the lightning lights up the sky I see her form a few feet away. I crawl over to her and then flip her over onto her back. She's got a huge gash on her head. I look around for something to absorb the blood and find nothing. _

_I pull my shirt off and use that to soak some of it up. I need a better assessment of her injury. It's bad but not as deep as I originally thought. I grab her backpack and take out the first aid kit and the burn medicine. I don't know what they put in this stuff but I put the burn cream on it first after cleaning it out with antiseptic. It starts to heal immediately. I bandage it for good measure. _

_I take her jacket off and tuck her into the sleeping bag. Then I put my shirt back on. I'm starving. We don't have much food left. "Haymitch, please send us something to eat until this rain lets up. Please?" I say out loud. A few minutes later, a parachute falls. I scramble to the mouth of the cave to get it. It's a hefty serving of lamb stew and a loaf of bread. "Thanks Haymitch." I say. I tear a small piece of bread off to tide me over and then lay down next too Katniss, stroking her cheek with my finger until I nod off. _

_When I wake up, it's dark and the storm is still raging. Flashes of lightning light up the cave. Her grey eyes are staring back at me, her hands rubbing the length of my arms. "Are you cold?" She asks. I laugh. "Me? Hardly ever and certainly not with you right beside me. No, I'm pretty warm." I kiss her forehead and then continue. _

"_What you did was pretty stupid, but thank you anyway. I'm glad you made it back. I would've had to slaughter everyone else if you didn't." She nods. "But then you would have been Victor. Then you could go home." She says. I scoff. "Katniss, there is nothing for me to go home to if you're not with me. I probably would have eventually killed myself or fallen down a bottle like Haymitch. All my life, I've only ever wanted you. You're my dream, my hope. Without it, I have nothing left. My brain can't even process the thought of a world without you in it. Never mind my heart. " _

_I break the awkwardness of my confession by removing the bandage on her forehead. Her cut has healed over and is no longer bleeding. Crazy Capitol medicine. "Hey are you hungry? Haymitch sent us some food this afternoon. I had a small piece of bread but waited to touch the stew with you." I say. She nods and we sit up to eat. It's so dark in here. _

_We eat in silence for a few moments and then out of nowhere, Katniss speaks to the air. "We can't see each other naked if we don't have light ya know." I nearly drop my bowl and Katniss laughs. Sure enough, a parachute falls and there's a medium size candle inside of it. "Why did you do that? I ask her. "Do what? She replies. "Say we can't see each other naked without light." I say. "A) Because we really can't see anything in this cave without a light and B) I was testing an idea." I gulp. The thought of seeing Katniss naked warms every inch of my body. _

_This cave is suddenly way too hot. I can feel the sweat dripping down my back. I feel so dirty all of a sudden. I need to get out of these clothes and bathe somehow. I get up and walk out to the mouth of the cave. The rain is coming down in sheets. I don't think any of the remaining tribute are out hunting in this storm. It's a good way to slip and break your neck. _

"_Katniss." I call her over to me. "Yes" she answers. I take a deep breath. "What are the odds that someone is out there? I feel nasty and want to clean up. I don't want to jeopardize our safety, our location." Katniss looks around and then back to me. "How are you going to do this? Just kind of take a shower or go into the river?" She inquires. "I think the rain is good enough. But you'll have to keep watch in case Cato is brave enough to venture out. Now that Clove is dead, he's going to be out for vengeance." _

_Katniss nods. "I wish I could take a shower too." She says. I look up at her. I don't want the entire country seeing Katniss naked. My mind reels as to how we can pull this off. I run my fingers through my hair and just come out with it. Katniss looks me in the eyes as I begin to speak. " I don't care if people see me naked Katniss but I do care if they see you naked. I know that you're also uncomfortable with that. I have a suggestion, but it will involve me seeing you. I don't know how you would feel about that." _

_Katniss sighs. "I trust you Peeta. What's your suggestion?" I continue on. "Um, we die out the candle, undress in here, in the cave and I block their frontal view of you with mine. We'll just step out into the rain and let it wash down on us. I think it's all we can do without them seeing everything."_

_I have no idea how she's going to react to what I just said. In a few minutes time I could potentially see Katniss naked for the first time and I have no idea what to expect or how to feel about that given our dire circumstances. I feel the humidity pick up in this cave and I just can't stand it anymore. I wait as patiently as possible for her decision. She stands up and offers me her hand. "Okay Peeta." Is all she says. _

_I blow out the candle and stand in the darkness facing her. I don't know how much they can see inside here when it's dark but I take no chances. I pull her closer to me and turn her to face the wall. _

"_I don't know where the cameras are but I think they're up higher. Undress facing the wall." I tell her. "Okay" she responds quietly. After we've both undressed, I turn her around slowly to face me and pull her closer to me. I keep her backside facing the wall and guide us out into the rain. The rain hits us in waves. It's constant water pouring down onto us. I hold her and shield her from view as much as possible. She holds onto me for dear life. _

_It's impossible not to get excited that I'm this close to her private areas but the camera can't see it because I'm flush with her. She can feel me though, I know she can. We don't move or say anything. After a good ten minutes in the rain, I move us back into the hot cave. I motion to let go and she pulls me tighter to her. "Don't let go Peeta. Please don't ever let go." She begs._

_My emotions run wild and I feel all the blood in my body race and turn me on. I crash my lips to hers and she receives me with so much enthusiasm, I have to wonder what's gotten into her. I move us over to the safety of the sleeping bag and we both kneel down, crawling into it for cover. Katniss pulls me on top of her and I swear I could cum right now. My body is lined up perfectly with hers and I want her more than anything in this world. We have to stop. We're too caught up in the moment. I don't want her to regret being with me later on. My words come out short breathed._

"_Katniss, we have to stop. I don't want you to regret this." I say. Katniss takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes, stroking my face with her hand. "Peeta, I'm not good with words like you. I never was. My actions speak louder than my words but hear me when I say this because I mean it. It has always been you. Since that day in the rain, you have always had a special place in my heart. It's fate that we're in these games together. You planted a seed that day and since we've been reaped it's grown into something that consumes me. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with you Peeta and I want nothing more than to be with you. Now and forever."_

_I am elated. "I love you Katniss." I say. _

" _I love you too Peeta, always." She says._

_I bask in the glory of her confession and let my instincts take over. It's so extremely hot in this cave but I won't move the sleeping bag off of us. We're just as sweaty as we were before the shower. I kiss down her neck and shoulder blades until I reach her breasts. I take one into my mouth and she moans softly. I love the sound of it. I whisper into her ear "I don't want them to hear us. I know they can't really see anything so lets be as quiet as possible." She nods into my kiss when I'm done speaking. _

_I return to her breast and then pull her nipples over and over with my right hand. She feels soft and warm under my touch. I run my hands down the length of her body until I put my hand between her legs. She softly moans into the kiss, never breaking it and when I rub her opening with my finger, she saturates me. Oh my god, I need her like right now. I push my finger into her a few times so she knows what's coming next and then slide on top of her. I never break the kiss. _

_When I slip inside of her, my world spins and I lose my breath. She feels fucking amazing. She's so warm and tight and inviting. I feel every sense in my body come alive. I am so overcome with love and emotion for her, that I swear I could cry being this close to her. This is as close to another human being that you could possibly get. Nothing trumps this. _

_I wait for her to expand at the size of me and after a few moments of stillness, I pull out of her. We both gasp. Then I re-enter her and we both kiss again. I do this several more times. It feels awesome and it's helping her body adjust to me. After several minutes of this, Katniss grabs my ass and wraps her legs around me. I know she's ready now. I thrust into her fully. That's when I know I completely broke her hymen. No going back now. I thrust into her again and again until I feel a tingling at the tip of my penis and Katniss moans out loud, she pulls me tighter to her and I bore down into her. Wherever I hit, is giving her her first orgasm. She is so tight and amazing that I can't hold on my longer. I bury myself deep within her until we are both coming together. We try to be quiet. I don't know how much they heard. I don't even care right now. _

_As soon as we get out of these fucked up games I'm going to marry this girl. _

_I'm panting, out of control. I don't want to remove myself from her. Ever. She's kissing me all over. She speaks first. "Peeta, I love you. Please don't ever leave me. Stay with me." _

_I look down at her. "Always Katniss. I will always be with you. I love you. Marry me?" I ask her._

_Katniss stops and looks at me. _

_She never wanted to officially get married and here I go and put it on the table. She gives me a deep kiss and answers into my mouth. _

"_Yes Peeta. I'll marry you."_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I got carried away again and this one shot is not three parts/chapters. Thanks for all of the alerts-there we TONS. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Let It Rain Part 2**

_Peeta POV_

_I open my eyes and find that Katniss is holding me. Her face a mere three inches from mine. I can feel her steady breath reach my lips. She looks like an angel sleeping in my arms. I glance down and notice that we both have no clothes on. My god, last night really did happen. Katniss and I made love for the first time. We confessed that we love each other. I asked her to marry me. She said yes. Katniss said yes to becoming my wife. _

_The thought dances around in my boggled mind. I've been pining after this girl for eleven years and in the short span of a few weeks, she fell in love with me and agreed to marry me. How does that happen? How odd is that? What if I hadn't been such a chicken shit and actually spoke to her after I had tossed her the bread? Would I have spent the last five years with her? Would it make these Games even less painful to endure? I decide to stop dwelling on the past and to focus on our future. We both may have made small mistakes due to our insecurities, that kept us from developing a friendship in the past but now, it's a whole other game. _

_I have never felt so alive and loved in all of my life. I want this girl. I want and love everything about her. She's everything that I need. I absolutely adore her. She's so beautiful and breathtaking right now. Her pink lips are slightly puckered and I swear, they're begging me to kiss them. To pull her bottom lip in between mine. My breath hitches in the back of my throat. It isn't long before she awakens. When her eyes come into focus, she smiles and then kisses me. I feel relief. I was worried that she would regret making love to me. It was my deepest fear. _

"_Good morning Peeta." She coos as she hugs me tighter to her. I can't help but be aroused. It is morning. I'm a sixteen year old horny boy with the girl of my dream lying naked beside me. Yes, I am completely erect in second. I find my voice as I position myself closer to her. "Good morning Katniss." I say in a deep throaty voice. _

_Katniss looks into my eyes as she moves her hand down farther until she reaches my penis. She hasn't touched it before. Everything went so quickly yesterday, we didn't do the full on exploration of each others bodies. I feel like I lose my breath when she puts her hand around my cock. It feels amazing. She rubs it up and down and I swear my mouth is hanging open from the pleasure it's giving me. _

_Katniss giggles and it brings me back to reality, this moment. While her hand is preoccupied, I let mine wander onto her body. I tease her nipples and then trace my fingers all over her stomach and down to her private area. I slide my finger along her opening, rubbing her clitoris in the process and she gasps. She's warm and wet at the slightest touch. I feel some self satisfaction that it's me doing that to her. That she's so attracted to me. _

_Just then I hear a parachute at the mouth of the cave. I pull my boxers on and scramble over to it and open it. There's a small box in it with a note on top. "One for each of you.-H" I bring it inside and open in up when I reach Katniss. There's a little blue pill and a condom. Well I know the condom is for me. She looks at the box and the note and her eyes get wide. She takes the pill really quickly and I'm still kind of clueless. I grab the condom, toss the box and get back under the sleeping bag with her. _

_I turn to her. "Katniss, what's the pill for?" I ask. She turns and faces me, putting her hand on my cheek. "It's a morning after pill Peeta. For when you don't plan for things to happen but they do. Like last night." I nod. I hold up the condom. "Look what Haymitch sent for me." She giggles and pulls me closer to her. _

_It doesn't take long before we're joined together again. _

_We fall asleep in each others arms and I awaken to the storm picking up. How is this even possible? Are they trying to flood the arena? Katniss stirs when the thunder hits and it sounds like it's splitting the cave in half. "Let's get up and get dressed. They must be getting restless because they couldn't see us." I mention. Katniss dresses under the blanket and after I put on my boxers, I dress outside of the bag. We tidy up the cave and then sit down to eat. _

_We're sitting opposite each other and eating some of our lamb stew. Even though its cold, it still hits the spot. Katniss speaks first. "I love this stuff. It's my favorite. Remember when I threw up on the train because I ate too much of it? She laughs. "Yeah, and I puked up all the ribs and sauces I ate. The food is too rich for starving kids." I laugh with her. _

"_Oh and I liked when you taught me about all the kinds of breads in each District too. But I have to say, I have a personal favorite at Mellark's Bakery. Beats all the others out any day." She says. I raise an eyebrow. "Really? What kind?" I ask. _

"_Nice try Peeta. You have to guess." She teases. I'm just about finished with my stew when Katniss laughs at me again. "What?" I ask. She giggles and puts her hand on her heart. "If Effie saw you the way you're eating now, she would have a heart attack! Not showing your good manners!" I laugh with her and toss my spoon over my right shoulder. "Watch this Effie!" I yell into thin air. I start licking the bowl and Katniss is laughing hysterically. I toss the bowl and move over to her and start making pig noises while teasing her neck. She can't catch her breath. _

"_Now what were you saying again? Your favorite bread from the bakery. You're really gonna make me guess aren't you?" I ask her. She nods in agreement. "Okay here goes." I say_

"_Rye?" _"Nope."

"_Wheat?" _"No."

"_Italian" _"Wrong again."

"_Cheese?" _"Ooh, I LOVE the cheese buns but that's still not it."

"_Plain?" _"No."

"_Sesame?" _"No again."

_I bow my head down and then look up into her eyes. I know what it is now. _

"_Raisins and Nuts?"I declare, not ask. I already know her answer. And not because we don't have more kinds of bread at the bakery, we must have twenty more I could list. But this was the kind of bread that I tossed to her in the rain. The expensive kind that warrant beatings went burnt by an eleven year old boy to toss to his starving object of affection. Katniss smiles and leans in closer. "Of course Peeta."_

_I lean in and kiss her. Despite what we've done in this cave, it's chaste. If we weren't under dire circumstances, we wouldn't have consummated our new found relationship so soon. I know this. Falling in love with her all over again has been amazing. It's reinforced everything that I've felt for her all of these years. Now that I have her, I'm not letting her go. _

_I break the kiss and smile at her. "Okay, I have a question for you? What's your favorite color?" I ask her._

_She laughs and holds my hand. "Green. Like forest green. Yours?" "_

_Orange" I reply. Katniss laughs. "Orange? Seriously? Like Effie's hair?" She asks. _

_I laugh again and shake my head. "No, more muted. Like the sunset." _

"_You're right Peeta. That is a very pretty color." She kisses me. _

_Katniss speaks first. "I can't wait for these games to be over with Peeta. I want to go home. With you. What will home be like when we get back?" I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know Katniss. I imagine everyone will be happy we made it and that they'll have the grain for a year. It'll help everyone at the very least. As for us, I'm going to marry you the first second I get." I pull her face to mine and kiss her again. "You promise?" She asks. I kiss her again. "I promise." _

_As I'm kissing Katniss, I notice a ray of sunlight peak through the cave and shine onto my eye. The sunlight hits her hair and I can see gold highlights dance in her mane. She's breathtaking. I run my hand up to her hair, making sure it's real and when I reach her face, she closes her eyes and rubs her cheek into my hand. I love her so much. There are no words to describe my feelings for her. The sun fades away and I know that these games are coming to a close. That there are now two tributes in the way of Katniss and I going home. The Game-makers have decided to move this along. _

_I pull her to her feet and hug her, lifting her off of the ground and into my arms. We stand this way for several minutes. Ideally, I would love for the both of us to win these games and have the happy little life I've always dreamed of. Realistically though, anything can happen. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for all of the amazing reviews and alerts. There were so many! My in box was flooded! Just a heads up, I am going in a totally different direction with this story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Let It Rain Part 3**

Katniss POV

We head out of the cave, hand in hand. I feel amazing. I can't help be happy even though we're in these fucked up games. I never thought that I could ever feel this way. Seeing my mother lose herself over for my father's death, hardened me and made me terrified that I would feel that way some day. I know now that my fears were very real. If I ever lost Peeta, I wouldn't want to live anymore. For the first time since my mother's depression, I feel for her.

We begin making our way towards the Cornucopia but we're not in a hurry yet. We figure it's probably best to eat something again before we get there. I pull out my bow and arrow and begin to hunt but all I hear is a steady crunch on the ground beside me. "Really Peeta? They can hear you a mile away!" I exclaim. He grins. "It's not my fault I'm solid Katniss. What would you like me to do? Take my shoes off?" I nod and I can tell he's exasperated but he complies.

I begin again and I can still here him snapping twigs. I throw a glare at him and he throws his hands in the air. "How about I go gather some berries?" He suggests. I nod but caution him to stay close. It doesn't take me long to catch a squirrel and then I hear a cannon. I immediately scream for him. My heart is in my throat. I take off in the direction he left in. "Peeta! Peeta!" I'm screaming.

He comes crashing out of the bushes and we nearly collide. "Katniss! Thank god you're safe! I heard the cannon!" He exclaims, trying to catch his breath. I yell at him."I thought it was you! I was so scared! Please don't ever leave me Peeta. Please stay with me." I sob into his shoulder. I'm a mess. "Always Katniss. I will always stay with you. I promise." He says.

We compose ourselves enough to part from our hug and then I see the berries in his hand. "Peeta, where did you get these?" I ask while holding one in my fingers. "Over there on that bush, why?" He asks. I look up at him. "They're night lock. You would be dead before the juice hit your stomach." His eyes grow wide and then he drops the berries. He wipes his hands on his pants. "I'm so sorry Katniss. I didn't know." He says and pulls me into a hug. We eat our lunch and then push forward.

It isn't long before we find her. Lying on the ground is Foxface. She looks peaceful. She has a small handful of berries in her hand still. Peeta and I look at each other. "Peeta, she knew these were night lock. I saw her at the station. She was very well versed with plants. This doesn't make any sense." I admit. Peeta looks over Foxface and comes to a different conclusion. "I think she killed herself Katniss. " I look at him in shock. "Why would she do that Peeta? Huh? She made it to the final four. She could have had a shot."

Peeta shakes his head. "Think about it Katniss. Cato is the devil's spawn. He's a killing machine. And then there's the two of us. We're in love, we both scored higher than her. Do you think she wanted to have a hand in killing the star crossed lovers of District Twelve? If we were taken out earlier, then maybe. But I think she took herself out to give us a chance. All we have left is Cato." He says.

I try to wrap my mind around what Peeta just said. How awful it must have been for Foxface. I never even spoke to her. I didn't want to make friends in these games. Knowing that I would just have to kill them to get home. I also didn't know that I would make friends with Peeta and fall in love with him either. Now I can't imagine life without him. What a terrible feeling to know that suicide is your only way out of a horrifying situation. I take small comfort knowing that she didn't feel anything. Just went to sleep.

The day wanes on and the sun is beginning to set. We're nearly at the Cornucopia when Peeta pulls me into his arms and kisses me. "There Katniss. That's my favorite color." He points to the sunset. It's beautiful and full of hope. I hope that tomorrow brings a whole new beginning for us. The sky darkens and we hear a rumbling in the forest. Out of nowhere, vicious dogs, or mutts attack us and push us towards the Cornucopia.

When we reach it, Peeta pushes me up top and then I pull him up. A mutt nearly gets his leg. Cato is up there waiting for us. The battle plays out in slow motion in my mind. Cato and Peeta fighting. The sound of fists and metal hitting each other. Then Cato pulls Peeta into a headlock and I know that if I shoot him, they're both going over the side to the mutts. Peeta marks and 'x' in his blood on Cato's hand. I shoot it and over the side he goes to be ravaged by the mutts. I walk over to the edge, offer Peeta my hand and then put Cato out of his misery with my last arrow.

Peeta and I collapse onto our knees and cry together. It's over, We finally made it. We wait for the hovercraft but it never comes. It seems like hours. We have no idea what's going on. It's nighttime now and we have no protection on top of the Cornucopia. The mutts are still below us, picking on Cato's body. We have no idea what's going on. We fall asleep in each others arms and are awoken by a voice.

"The earlier decision of crowning two victors has been revoked.

Only one victor can win.

May the odds be ever in your favor."

Peeta and I stare at each other. We both put our hands to each others faces at the same time and begin kissing. We're both crying hysterically, hugging each other. Peeta pulls us to our knees. "Katniss, listen to me. Listen good. I love you. I want you to live. I have nothing left back home without you. You're all I ever wanted and dreamed about. I know these games sucked but I am still so grateful that they brought us together. Even for this short while."

Peeta continues. "You need to be strong. You need to do this and go home to your family. They need you. I need you to do this, for me." Peeta hands me his knife and I gasp.

"NO! NO! I won't do it. You kill me. You're the decent one here. I'm a miserable, selfish bitch half the time. I won't do it Peeta. Please don't make me do it. I love you. Please, I love you. " I clasp onto him, no intention of letting him go.

"You have to do it Katniss. They need to have a victor." He says.

He strokes my hair and kisses it. We have no idea what to do. We both won't kill the other. It's then that I remember the berries. I pull them out of my small bag and look up at Peeta. He looks me in the eyes.

"I'll take them so you don't have to kill me Katniss. It's okay. I came here prepared to die for you and I'm still sticking to that. It won't hurt me. I won't be in pain when I go." He says.

I shake my head. "You said that you would always stay with me Peeta! You promised me! You said always. Nothing could keep us apart. Did you mean it?" I ask. Peeta nods. "I would die for you Katniss." He whispers.

I kiss him. "I would die for you Peeta. I'm not going to walk out of this arena without you."

Peeta realizes what I'm saying and pulls me into his arms, kissing me fiercely. Our hands are everywhere holding each other. Savoring our last moments with each other.

He leans us up against the large wall of the Cornucopia and I place a few berries into both of our hands. We kiss again, deeper than we ever have. Tears rolling down our cheeks. When we part, we just stare at each other. We encircle our arms around each other.

Peeta whispers. "I love you Katniss. On the count of three." I nod. "I love you too Peeta. Always."

"_One..two..three." _

We both toss the berries into our mouths and press our lips together. Dying together.

"_For never was a story of more woe_

_Than this of Juliette and her Romeo."_

_-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliette, 5.3_

**A/N: What did you think? Review!**


	4. Important Author's Note

**Important Author's Note**

Re: Completion Of 'Now'

I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank all of my readers who have followed me since I began writing, for the first real time in my life, since February. I have loved my time on FFN and I hope that my stories continue to stay posted, despite their content.

I have written eight stories so far, yes, eight. If you haven't read them all yet, please do. I am a die hard Everlark fan and have read most of what's out there myself. Please _**always **_check your favorite author's favorites because you never know when you're gonna find a good story. Remember that FFN started way back in 2002 and some stories go way back. Obviously, The Hunger Games isn't that old, but you know what I mean.

That being said, I cannot stress enough how important it is to always review/follow which stories/author's you love. FFN is constantly changing things and sometimes it's not easy to find what/who you loved in the past. That being said, some people won't read an author's work if the review are not high, so if you love it, always show it.

I have started a few pages to check out and follow.

**If you see a tumblr page on any author profile or A/N- FOLLOW IT. **

**If they're taken down for content, you won't be able to find them!**

Tumblr: **jlhumph** dot **tumblr** dot **com **

Twitter Handle: ** jlhumph (making LOTS of FFN friends-join me!)**

Alert Notifications: **eepurl **dot **com/nEYkn** to receive email notification when I post a chapter.

(remove all the dots from the above address- ffn eats them up) Please let me know if eepurl works cuz it's the first time I'm using it for sign ups. It's a work in progress and I haven't worked out all the kinks yet.

A few things my readers have brought up about my stories. Gonna address all at once.

YES, Book 1- It's completed and continues with Ready.

READY, Book 2- Complete and continues with Now.

NOW , Book 3- Completed and there will be no additional Book unless I get super crazy.

Catch Me- One shot of a lake scene.

Let It Rain- 3 Chapters of the alternate cave scene. Completed.

Moments- Competed.

**Spin- in progress AU.**

**Breathe- In progress AU.**

If you haven't read one of those stories, be sure to check them out. They're all still currently up on FFN and double posted onto my tumblr page.

Also, welcome to my Beta fnur and follow her on twitter at ** fnurfnur!**

Again, thank you for all the love and support!

xoxo Jen aka jlhumph :)


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